


A Bench for Three

by radioactivebraingunk (paperguns)



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: F/M, even in the face of shoujo love, in which i still dont give kaneki a break, toukenweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-06
Updated: 2014-11-06
Packaged: 2018-02-24 09:17:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2576192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperguns/pseuds/radioactivebraingunk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two’s a company. Three’s a crowd. Yes, cats count.<br/>[In which Kaneki gets cockblocked by an unlikely opponent and Touka remains blissfully unaware of the battle for her affections.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Bench for Three

**Author's Note:**

> I listened to whoo’s album Portrait today while writing this and everything was so fluffy all of a sudden it was disgusting lmao. Also this isn’t part of the series just a little side thing i did im punishing myself too much i'll write it soon

There is you, there is me   
Even that doesn't mean a thing   
Time was just passing by   
Under the clear sky on a May afternoon 

-       _[Lazy Sunday](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4JD29qlNrY)_

 

           

            It had become a little tradition of theirs, one they never really formally talked about during work or even during their little excursions outside it. It was solely a “Sunday thing”, a mysterious secret they’d probably bury with them to the grave because it was kind of embarrassing (according to Touka). They’ve had enough shares of problems, thank you very much, and after the little fiasco at the apartment (nothing happened really, just a man and a woman in the same room doing nothing, although wiser people would’ve said otherwise) Touka had been avoiding him like the plague and when she’d talk to him, they were more like angry orders than civil conversation so he gave up.

            He was looking forward to the weekend though, since up until now neither of them had been absent, even during the times they both have good reasons to be (broken bones and bruises totally count as good reasons). He planned to apologize, for what he honestly has no idea, and finally say something that has been on his mind for a while. She just had to listen to him and he’ll take anything she throws at him, figuratively and literally. He hoped she doesn’t have anything heavy on her person by then. With or without fast regeneration capabilities, pain is pain and he’d rather not experience any.

            He was the first one to arrive and he wasn’t surprised, already used to Touka’s tardiness. He sat on their usual bench, which had a nice view of the lake and was situated just beneath some trees which provided shade. He set down his bag and a thermos of freshly made coffee and sat down, taking a book out to read as he passed the time waiting for her. A familiar jingle caught his attention and he reached down to pet the cat currently winding itself between his legs.

            Touka jokingly refers to this cat as the third member of their secret club and Kaneki also thinks so. The cat had been a constant presence in all of their meetings, the food they carried around in their bags reserved solely for the feline. It was a pretty creature, with sleek grey fur and big eyes which were a shade of luminous blue it was hard not to stare. A bell hung from its neck, secured with a red ribbon. Other than it, the cat had no other means of identifying it or its owner so they assumed it was one of the strays in the area.

            The cat was napping between his feet when Touka arrived, looking even more arresting than usual ( _lovestruck idiot_ , a voice sneered in his mind, which sounded very much like Rize). She promptly sat down on the other end of the bench, acknowledging him with a glance. He took this as a good sign so he set down his book, thumbing a corner down to mark his page, before gathering his courage.

            “Um, Touka-chan?” he said meekly, testing out the waters.

            She turned to him. “What?” Same old, same old.

            “I’d like to apologize, for whatever I’ve done?” he ended hesitantly, peeking at her imperceptibly.

            He saw her make a small grimace. She huffed, her bangs lifting up. “No need to apologize. You did nothing wrong, idiot.”

            “Okay, that’s good to hear.” He let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding, relief evident in his voice. That’s one problem out of the way.

            “Um, Touka-chan?” he said again, this time nervously.

            “Yeah?”

            “I just wanted to say, that I really li-”

Before he could even blurt out the confession he’d been practicing for weeks, the cat that had been resting peacefully all this time, suddenly leapt out and headed straight to Touka’s arms.

 

            One thing Kaneki definitely noticed about the cat was its big liking for Touka. It tolerated him sure, and let Kaneki pet its fur and scratch its neck but he was sure it was more out of gratitude for the canned tuna he brought him and not necessarily because it was attached to him. But towards Touka, it was more affectionate than usual, greeting her with licks and purrs and gave her free reign towards itself. Kaneki had heard from somewhere (probably the old aunts who talked loudly in front of his building early in the morning), that male cats liked female owners better. And the cat was definitely a he, he had made a sneaky inspection.

            The cat was currently asleep on Touka’s lap, purring contentedly as she stroked her fur. Kaneki honestly didn’t know whether to be amused at the adorable picture they presented or be jealous of the cat’s position. The cat snuggled closer to Touka’s hand, one eye peeking at him as if taunting and Kaneki instantly knew that this cat was waging war on him over Touka’s heart.

            Kaneki couldn’t believe that a cat was capable of such actions, let alone a cat which he had fed from his own hand. _So this is what betrayal feels like_ , he mused, frowning at the animal. He absolutely couldn’t lose here, especially not to a cat. He absolutely doesn’t want to hear what Hide will say when hears about it. He’ll tease him about it for years.

            For his first attack, he subtly inched closer to Touka, closing the space between them. If Touka noticed she made no signs of it, although she was a bit red around the ears which was strange. He cleared his throat quietly, made sure the cat was conked out, and started to talk.

            “Hey, Touka-chan? I’d like you to listen to something I have to say.” He said a bit seriously, and she looked at him curiously.

            He felt himself burn under her scrutiny but pushed on. “Um, you’ve helped me a lot these past months and I really enjoy your company (he didn’t notice but her cheeks tinted pink at this point), and I just really li-”

            There was a sudden burst of giggles from Touka as once again, the cat cut him in the climax of his speech, and nuzzled her.

            He slumped against the bench, totally drained of any courage he had. He looked at his right side, smiling a bit as he watched Touka play with the cat. Well, at least he got to hear her laugh.

 

           

            Kaneki didn’t give up yet, not when he still has a chance. But all of his efforts were thwarted by the sneaky feline and he could feel himself growing more irritated by the second. If this were a PVP game, he was sure the cat is breezily racking up points while he slowly lost any HP he has left. Whoever said cats were gentle creatures must have never had to face off against one to win a maiden’s affections. Kaneki won’t wish the same fate to them though; cats can handle themselves extremely well.

            After the 10th attempt, Kaneki was about to give up. He can always do it another day, maybe the next Sunday. But the cat would still be there, there’s really no escaping it. He can do it on a weekday, but they both have classes and then work, and he really wasn’t sure about doing it on a weekday, or Saturday for that matter. Sundays are their day, theirs alone and he wanted to confess to her on a special day ( _That’s sickeningly sweet,_ Rize crooned again). He slapped his cheeks, willing the voices in his mind to go away.

            He reached into his bag, pulling out a can of tuna. It was his last resort and he’s hoping it will finally work, even if it wasn’t the plan he wanted to execute. In battles, dalliances are necessary, he had read that in a book, although he was sure the book also cautioned against allying with enemies but he didn’t have a choice. It was a war between him and a cat, a very intelligent cat. The battlefield is theirs alone.

            He settled on a spot a bit far from the bench, and purposely opened the can loudly and waved it around to spread the smell. The cat definitely caught a whiff of the delicious treat and bounded off Touka’s lap and towards Kaneki. Thankfully, Touka stayed where she is, dusting fur off her clothes. Kaneki took this chance and tied a piece of paper on the cat’s ribbon.

            “If you won’t let me talk to her, then I’ll let you do the talking for me.” He whispered triumphantly.

            Once he was sure it was tied securely, he made a show of approaching Touka, walking loudly across the ground and making coughing noises. The cat noticed, and raced past him to Touka’s lap. Touka giggled and scratched its chin before noticing the paper tied around the ribbon. Curious, she untied it and read the words inside.

            Kaneki waited anxiously for her reaction, ready for whatever it is. He watched as she slowly turned red from neck up, her whole face bright as a tomato. She suddenly glared at him and he seriously debated whether to face her like a man or make a run for it. She reached out, grabbing the scruff of his shirt and he closed his eyes for the inevitable fist of pain.

            Which never happened, opening his eyes after a few minutes and not feeling any connecting punch or bruise. Touka had instead snatched his pen away, which was clipped to his shirt pocket, and was busily writing something on the paper he sent to her via cat courier. She signed it with an angry flourish, before tying it to the cat’s ribbon again and handing the cat to him.

            Speechless, he took the cat (which surprisingly made no protest, its mission completed) and took the piece of paper. Touka stood in front of him, angry face on full force, cheeks and ears bright scarlet. He gulped, opening the piece of paper and read.

            “I love you, Touka-chan”

            “I love you too, idiot.”


End file.
